LONDON: Travis Perkins and Kingfisher are among the 35 companies that responded to the Forest Footprint Disclosure project survey on deforestation.

The project aims to root out deforestation by increasing the transparency of global supply chains.

The report, released yesterday, showed that while some companies communicate 'environmentally friendly' policy in their consumer marketing mix, they do not disclose their impact on forests.

Tracey Campbell, director of FFD said: "Whilst we understand that creating a robust and sustainable supply chain with full traceability is a challenge for businesses, those that have disclosed show that their forward-thinking management is managing a supply chain risk to their business over the long term and managing the issue of climate change intelligently."

Of 217 companies contacted by the project, only 35 responded with full data disclosure. Campbell said it was a very promising start. "We have raised the profile of the links between deforestation and commodities, informing the business community about the issue, and we plan to build on this initial engagement in future years."

Participation in the project is free, but companies have to cover the cost of providing supply chain information. The scheme is modelled after the Carbon Disclosure Project, which asks companies to detail carbon emissions throughout their supply chain.

"Consumers are increasingly aware of the issue of deforestation and are favouring those brands and companies which can demonstrate a clear link to sustainably sourced commodities. Investors will want to know which companies are facing up to the challenges," she said.